Anyone who plans to run against Jeffer­son County Circuit Judges Helen Shores Lee or Eugene Verin already is more than $50,000 behind in fundraising, campaign disclosure forms show.

Lee, a Birmingham based civil court judge representing Place 4 on Circuit Court, raised the most money among Jef­ferson County judicial candidates who have filed 2009 annual campaign disclo­sures so far.

Lee reported contributions of more than $66,000 last year. She had more than $51,000 remaining after expenses.

Verin, a Bessemer-based civil court judge in the Circuit Court’s Place 25 seat, ended the year with a campaign fund a little ahead of Lee. He reported more than $64,000 in contributions last year, nearly two-thirds of which was received in a single fundraiser on June 15. He had nearly $53,000 remaining after expenses.

Today is the deadline for candidates to report contri­butions and expenditures from last year. They could begin fundraising last June.

Several other Jefferson County judicial candidates got the jump on fund­raising. Those filing reports so far with contributions exceeding $10,000 were:

>John G. “Jack” Low­ther,

the Place 5 incumbent in the civil court division of District Court in Birming­ham. He started with more than $8,200 and reported raising nearly $37,000.

Most of his contributions came from Birmingham law firms, led by $1,000 from Lightfoot Franklin & White.

Political action commit­tee contributions were $3,500 from the Iron Work­ers Local 92, $1,000 from Alabiz PAC run by Birming­ham lobbyist Stephen Brad­ley, $500 from Good PAC associated with the law firm Maynard Cooper & Gale and $250 each from com­mittees for the law firms Bradley Arant Boult & Cum­mings and Wallace Jordan Ratliff & Brandt.

After expenses, he ended with more than $35,000.

>Eric Fancher, the Dis­trict Court Place 11 incum­bent in Bessemer’s criminal court, started the reporting period with nearly $25,000 and received nearly $31,000 in contributions.

Most contributions were $500 or less, mainly from Jefferson County lawyers. Larger contributions were $1,000 each from Bessemer lawyer Kenneth Foster and William A. Short Jr., and $1,000 from Christopher and Lois T. Truss.

Fancher got $2,500 from the Iron Workers Local 92 PAC and $2,000 from the United Mine Workers American PAC.

He ended with more than $47,000, after ex­penses.

>Clyde Jones, an in­cumbent criminal court judge for Place 14 in Bir­mingham, reported nearly $22,000 in contributions, mostly from criminal de­fense lawyers. PAC contributions were $1,000 from the committee for the Waldrep Stewart & Kendrick firm, and $500 from Maynard Cooper’s PAC.

After expenses, Jones had more than $14,000.

>Sheldon D. “Shelly” Watkins, an incumbent for the Place 4 seat on District Court in Birmingham, re­ported more than $21,000 in cash contributions and $1,500 in-kind advertising.

Most came from lawyers, as well as $2,000 from the Iron Workers Local 92 PAC and $1,000 from Kenneth R. Adams of Mountain Brook.

He ended with more than $16,000, after ex­penses.

>Dan King III, the Cir­cuit Court Place 12 incum­bent in Bessemer’s criminal court, reported raising more than $15,000.

That included $2,500 each from law partners Larry Morris and Ernest Clayton Hornsby Jr., $2,000 from Surgery South of Bes­semer and $1,000 from for­mer Bessemer judge Ralph Coleman Jr.

He ended with nearly $13,000, after expenses.

>David Hobdy, a crimi­nal defense lawyer running for the vacant Place 19 Cir­cuit Court seat in Besse­mer’s criminal court, re­ported contributions of more than $12,000, but only $5,000 left after expenses.

Larger contributions were $2,000 from the United Mine Workers PAC, $1,200 from Texas resident Darrell K. Smith, $1,000 from Waldrep Stewart’s PAC, and $1,000 from Lee Powell of Vestavia Hills.

>Lee’s PAC contribu­tions were: $3,000 from Vi­sion PAC run by Montgom­ery lobbyists Kim and John Q. Adams, $2,500 from Iron Workers Local 92, $2,000 from Bradley Arant’s PAC, $1,000 from Waldrep Ste­wart’s PAC, $1,000 from Highland PAC run by Brad­ley, $1,000 from Maynard Cooper’s PAC and $250 from the Sound Economy PAC that is funded mainly by Compass Bancshares.

Lee also received $2,000 each from four law firms and $1,000 each from nine law firms, all of which spe­cialize in civil litigation.

>Verin received $2,000 each from the Birmingham law firms Starnes & Atchi­son and Lightfoot Franklin & White. He also got several contributions of more than $1,000 each from civil liti­gation law firms. PAC contributions for Verin were $2,000 from Bradley Arant’s PAC, $1,000 from Alabiz PAC, and $500 from Maynard Cooper’s PAC.